Panem Arts Academy
by nevergone4ever
Summary: At a school for geniuses and children with problems both, Rue is an outsider to these people. Foxy, Clove, and Johanna, a tight group of three, are watching her carefully. There's so much to juggle for these girls- romance, drama, and doing the right (or wrong) thing. What will happen when one person steps out of line? R&R.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: New story, hope y'all enjoy. Reviews much appreciated and needed. They're my fuel!**

**Foxy (Kit)**

"A new student," I whispered to myself, my cheeks growing pinker and pinker. "I have to tell Clove and Johanna."

Nobody else saw the small girl with curly brownish-black hair, just me. With a quick swivel of my heel, I darted off of my balcony and ran to the kitchens.

"Where's Clove?" I bellowed to the Avoxes. Most of them shrugged, but one, an Asian one, pointed me in the directions of Hall B. I thanked her and ran.

The length of the hallway seemed to stretch on forever. My feet were like blocks of peanut butter after halfway, but I needed to alert Clove and Johanna. I could not lose my best friends, not after what had happened to Katniss. She was only sixteen. She did not deserve to die. Nobody deserves to die.

I saw my friend hunched over a cowering boy named Alex.

"GIVE ME YOUR MONEY, YOU LITTLE TRAMP!" she screamed at him, her fist lashing out at his belly. He cried out in pain.

"Clove! CLOVE! HEY! Stop it, Clove!" I pulled the two apart. Alex broke off in a run, and Clove yelled after him.

"YOU BETTER RUN, NERD!"

"Clove, not nice," I told her. She adjusted her brunette braid.

"That little devil was bragging about how his rich daddy gave him hundreds of bucks of allowance this week," Clove mumbled, her eyebrows meeting in the middle. "I was basically righting a wrong."

I blinked. "Sure. I have to tell you something."

"Have you told Johanna yet?" They words flew out of her mouth.

I shook my head. "Couldn't find her."

Clove shrugged. "Fair enough. What's up? Good or bad?"

"Definitely bad," I said. "There's a new girl."

"What's she like?" Clove remained surprisingly calm.

"Small, African-American. She was strong enough to haul three suitcases, though. She might be a threat."

"That's not good," Clove murmured. "Let's spy on the housing office. See where they put her."

I followed my friend through campus, where she managed to get mad only twice- once at a girl laughing too loudly, another at a girl whose skirt was literally to die for. If I hadn't pulled Clove off of her, ten more seconds and I'd be at that girl's funeral right now. Clove sure gets jealous easily.

We made it to the housing offices. The girl was already inside, but we could see only the back of her. She wore a sky blue tank top, although it was close to freezing, and faded jeans with blue sneakers. Her hair was in a small afro, and she must have had some bangles on because whenever she moved her left arm I heard a jangling.

"You think she's a threat?" Clove whispered to me.

I shrugged. "She seems pretty small."

The lady behind the desk asked her something. "Rue, did you sign all seven forms?"

"I only received six, madam," the girl said.

"Her name's Rue," Clove said quietly.

"She sounded young, like eleven or twelve."

"I don't think this girl will be a threat."

"Nope." I agreed.

The girl turned around as we ducked behind the door. I didn't know if she saw us, because the split second afterwards we bailed.

**Rue**

First of all, I didn't want to go to a boarding school for troubled children and geniuses. Sadly, I was a genius, so the troubled children would be on my case. I had life going just fine for me at home. I had a steady job as a piano tutor for around twenty kids, four days a week, I got straight A pluses, and the popular girls were finally starting to accept me as their friend. Then last week, Thursday, four-thirty-seven at night, when I was feasting upon hambone soup and mashed potatoes, my parents dropped the bombshell.

The second the two words came out of their mouths, my two little sisters, Anne and Rowan, they started BAWLING their heads off. My head, however, was hazy. I remember them saying something about a visiting weekend every semester, and care packages every week, sent from them truly, but I still locked my door and slammed it a few times for good measure when I went up to take a shower.

That's why when today, I heard a noise behind me at the housing office, I turned extra quickly, making sure that the ambush hadn't already begun. All I saw was a flash of red hair and a small nose. Two girls had been watching me and had left. I swallowed.

"Thank you, Mrs. Trinket," I said quietly to the housing woman as I left.

My dorm would be Sector 4, Dorm A12. Twelve was my lucky number and age. I unlocked the room and stared.

It was very small, about half the size of my room back home. I had one window and a twin bed with a dull beige quilt and matching sheets and pillowcases. I remembered the bedding I had brought, pink and yellow mod squares, and I let out a sigh of relief. I examined the rest of the room. The walls were off-white, there was a window with filmy white curtains, and there was a white desk, a chair, a small bookcase, a bureau, and nightstand. But other than that and one luggage prop, there was nothing.

I set my biggest suitcase down on the luggage prop and began unpacking clothing. Out came all of my shirts, six pairs of pants, two skirts, two dresses, and four pairs of shoes. I unloaded them into the bureau.

Next I opened my smallest suitcase and took out my books- reading books and textbooks both. I put them all in the bookcase. I also unpacked my bedding and set it on the bed.

Last to come out was my medium and favorite suitcase. I unpacked magazines, my hairbrush, various nail polishes, the essentials (Toothbrush, socks, etc.), and a couple extra things.

Then I noticed it- I didn't have a bathroom.

I snatched up the phone that lie on the nightstand and dialed housing.

"Hello, Panem Arts Academy, Mrs. Trinket speaking currently."

I rolled my eyes. Nice. "Um, Mrs. Trinket? It's Rue."

"Hello Rue!" she sounded pleased. "I trust you need to ask a query?"

I blinked. Query meant question, right? "Uh, yeah… I guess. Um, Where's the bathroom?" Now I felt embarrassed. Then I remembered not to expect too much. "Is there, like, one in the hall or one personal one or…?"

Mrs. Trinket laughed. "Yes, Rue. You're A12? There's a 4A bathroom at the end of the hall, left of the elevators. There are some shower stalls and a few cubicles with sinks to hair dry or towel dry your hair, or just to simply wash up."

"Thanks," I told her and hung up.

I collapsed on the desk chair. I was supposed to share a bathroom? I didn't wear much makeup yet, just lip gloss on occasions, but how was I supposed to freshen up? I didn't bring a mirror.

I heard a sickening crack at my window and raced to it. There was a smushed, cracked egg on the glass.

My eyes got watery. Why would somebody do this to me? I glanced down at campus grounds and saw two girls- one with dark, raven hair in a braid, and another with short, caramel colored hair. The short-haired one was holding another egg.

"Welcome to Panem Academy!" shouted the shorter one, the egg girl's companion.

The egg girl lobbed the egg at me and it smashed against my window. My mouth was open wide in shock. I looked back down and saw both girls spitting at me. I closed the curtains and sat on the floor near the door in a fetal position, quivering. It was my first day. Why would they for this to me? My watery eyes were streaming salty tears, and I rested my head on my knees.

Why me?


	2. Kit Gets Anxious

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I've never gotten so many on a beginning story, except for my Truth or Dare one. Tee hee. :D**

**Clove**

"That was awesome," I giggled with Johanna. "Did you see her face? She was so scared!"

"We should really do that more often," Johanna commented. "It's a frigging egg, and she was, like, terrified!"

I grinned at her.

**Foxy (Kit)**

I finished up my burger and looked around nervously. Where was Clove? I couldn't trust her sometimes. Was she doing something to Rue? If so, she had to be stopped.

I burst into housing.

"Tell me where Rue's housed," I panted at Effie, who was painting her lips purple with nail polish.

"Sorry, honey, that's confidential." She pursed her lips at me. "Run along."

"I NEED her housing number!" I was losing patience.

Effie rose from her chair, her red sleeves billowing out at me. "KIT, if you do not run along and stop asking about Rue, I'll have to—"

She was silenced in a second with a sharp kick from my left foot.

Effie was moaning on the floor, still conscious, so I jammed my fingers in her collarbone for five seconds and withdrew. I love pressure points.

She'd be knocked out, but not for long. I sat in her chair and flipped through pages and pages of names. _Mason, Johanna. Miller, Kailey. Miller, Anna. Miller, Trinity. Mug, Marvel. Odair, Finnick_. I didn't spot any Rue's. I kept flipping through the pages.

Then it hit me. She wouldn't be in here, she's too new. She'd probably be emailed about, though. I whipped open Effie's laptop. Her email was closed off. I tapped my fingers on the keyboard, thinking of a simple hacking method I had learned back in 5.

_Welcome, Mrs. Trinket,_ read the screen, and I grinned. I had remembered. I scrolled through pages and pages of old emails, quite a few from this Finnick guy. I clicked on one. A sappy love letter. Rated… (ahem) a bit M or X. I closed it and kept looking.

There was only one, and it was at the bottom. I opened it, from some guy named Seneca.

_Mrs. Trinket:_

_Concerning your new student, Rue Pensky, I firmly believe that she should be placed on the top floor. Something occurred in her district and now she has a fear of bottom floors. Rue will arrive tomorrow evening at eleven, stay at the housing office cot, and then you may house her in the morning. Thank you._

_Seneca Crane_

Top floor, top floor. This was a valuable piece of information. I closed the laptop, searched _Pensky_ (without any luck- there was only a guy in there named Max), and darted out of Housing, my footsteps light as air.

The top floor. I'd start in my building first.

**Johanna**

Lunch sucked. It was something called eggplant parm? Honestly, that was one of the worst foods I had ever eaten in my life. There were weird vegetables in it, for one, and I hate vegetables. Second, apparently PARM is short for 'Parmesan', which is a cheese. I hate cheese.

I shoved my tray down a weak girl's back and exited the cafeteria, Clove at my side.

We walked past a couple of guys playing hacky-sack.

"Oooooh," I exhaled, jabbing Clove in the arm. "Let's play." She nodded her consent.

"Hey boys," she squealed in a girly accent that matched a girl we knew, Glimmer, perfectly. "Can WEEEE play?"

There were three guys I recognized. Finnick, Cato, and Thresh.

"Sure?" Finnick said it more than a question than a response. Clove smirked at me. We were ready.

Thresh got it first, and he bumped it to me. I grabbed the hacky sack, ripped it open with my sharp nails, and threw it at Cato. Clove and I walked side by side away, a prideful air in our smooth strides. I heard lots of grumbling behind us as they let the beans fall out of the now limp hacky-sack. I smirked.

"What should we do now?" I asked Clove, but she wasn't watching me. She was running towards our friend Kit.

"KIT! KIT! We got somethin' to tell YOUUUUU," sang out Clove, spreading her arms wide. Kit blinked, much like a deer caught in headlights. I smelled fear.

"Um, yes?" Kit blushed and adjusted her ponytail.

"We just egged that new girl's dorm. Rue or whatever? She was SCARED of two little eggs. It's like, what a WIMP." While Clove jabbered on, I watched Kit. Her face changed from caught to accusing to curious to nervous.

"Um, awesome, guys," Kit told us, fist-bumping an eager Clove. "Um, what dorm is she?"

"Top floor, building-"

"HEY," I interrupted. Somehow I didn't trust my little friend Kit with this information. "Let's beat up that little kid over there, Johnny or whoever."

Clove's eyes lit up. She turned to Kit, who was urging her to finish the sentence. "That's they guy who I was getting for his money yesterday. 'Member?"

"Yeah," Kit mumbled. "I remember."

Kit seemed so out of it, I concluded, that it was suspicious. I decided not to trust the redhead for awhile- for as long as it took for her to regain it.

**A/N: FIVE updates for my stories in one day and two reviews? Let's go people. Review! : ) **

**My gramma's wake is on Wed. and the funeral's on Thursday. I'll have no wifi, so I guess I'm updating for then, now. Ha ha…**


	3. Johanna's Gettin' Suspicious

**Foxy (Kit)**

Well, I didn't get the information I wanted from Clove- at least not while Johanna was there. When Johanna excused herself (and Clove) to go to their dorms, I rested in mine. Katniss used to be my dorm mate, but seeing as she died, I was moved to Clove's dorm. She shared with me. But I was in a café now, ten minutes before it closed. I sipped a caramel latte and texted Clove.

"What buildin did u say rue was n again?" I tapped.

It took a while before she responded, but she texted me the answer and I took off, running as fast as I could to the building. Twelfth floor was first. I skipped half the doors, knowing who lived in them, but knocked on all the rest. And I must say, while some people were normal, coming to the door drinking tea or in pajama pants or with messy hair or eyes that were bloodshot from studying so hard, others weren't nearly like that. They had blackened teeth, magenta nose hair, goats on leashes, sombreros that covered their heads, and tear-streaked cheeks and a small afro.

"Omigod!" I gasped. "Rue! Hello!"

The little girl gave me a rueful look that threatened to spill over with tears again. "Hi," she said cautiously.

"My name is Kit, and you are?"

"You just _said_ my name," she said to me. I swallowed, tasting my dinner coming back up.

"Oh. Yeah. I did, didn't I…" I looked around for something, _anything_ to make an excuse about, but found none. "So… did anybody do anything, I dunno…. Bad to you today?"

Rue's soulful brown eyes were watery. "Are _you_ part of their group?" she whispered to me. "The one with a dark braid, and the tall one?" I shook my head.

"They're my friends, but I don't usually go along wit– Hey, hey! Rue! _RUE_!"

Rue, who had been closing the door, opened it a crack.

"What are you going to do, egg my _door_? Fork the _carpet_ outside it?" she spat at me.

I sighed.

"Rue, I'm not like them. They came here to change their ways, and I'm here to stop being depressed. I had a bunch of depressive incidents. I'm not like- their kind," I said uncertainly. "What I mean to say is, I'm not a hoodlum or member of a gang or anything. Clove and me just clicked, and a couple of months ago Johanna joined our group when she tried to hang a bird from a tree. We stopped her, and apparently she thought we were cool so she hangs out with us. We're best friends, and they should have never done that!" My words came out in a rush. I gestured frequently with my hands.

Rue sighed.

"Can I come in?" I asked. The fearful look came back to her eyes. I put my hands up in surrender. "You can search me if you want, but just remember that I'm not like them. I would never hurt anybody except myself." I showed her the scars on my arms. "Do you believe me now?"

Rue closed her eyes to reveal dark eye shadow. After a few seconds she opened the door fully, beckoning me in. I thanked her and walked inside her dorm.

**Rue**

Kit walked inside my dormitory, and although I was wary, I was the tiniest bit excited. _My very first visitor, hopefully a friend!_ But the other 99% of my brain covered it up with messages of _She's here to make you mad. You should have never let her in. You'll regret this. Her friends are the ones that made you cry, so why are you letting this _spawn_ come into your dorm? _Luckily for me, I was very good at ignoring things, so I pushed past those negative thoughts and offered her a seat in the chair. She sat on the tip of my bed, so I hopped up on the windowsill, where I put my Venus Flytrap, Chewy. It's not weird….

Kit seemed nervous, but her fire-truck red hair spoke otherwise to me. If I didn't just speak to her, I'd assume she was fired up about something.

"So why'd they do it?" I asked.

Kit scratched her collarbone. "Well, Clove has a problem- she doesn't know when to stop the violence. And Johanna usually lights the fire; she'll start it, and Clove will carry it out to extremes. The perfect team, sort of." She chuckled softly. "Chances are, Johanna probably threw the idea out there, got the eggs, and Clove threw them. You were egged, right? Or were you forked?"

"Egged," I said.

Kit nodded. "When Johanna was new and trying to tie a noose on that bird, I was the one who got Clove and I over there to try and stop her, but Clove was the one who actually did. She pushed her aside and let the bird go, and I just stood there. I felt like a jerk, since I didn't even get to help the poor animal. But… Johanna seemed to like us. The rest is history now."

I nodded. So far, so good. "Who's who?"

"Clove has the dark hair, and she's smaller than Johanna. She's just a bit bigger than me, though. Johanna's the really tall one, with short light brown hair. Her eyes are really blue, like the exact color of the sky. I think they're so cool."

I nod again. "So… why are you here?"

Kit bit her lip. "Your turn. You tell me why you're here."

I take a moment to gloss my lips, make sure that they look all right, and pop a couple of Ice Breaker raspberry gum squares. When I see that Kit is still awaiting an answer, I sigh and spill the beans.

"I used to live in District 11. And I'm a g-genius, so, um, they sent me here. End of story. What about you?"

Kit shakes her head, making her dangly hoop earrings bounce up and down. "There has to be more to it than that," she said.

I shrugged. "Nope. I'm just a genius."

Luckily she bought my story, and we talked late into the night.

**Clove**

I glanced at the clock for the fortieth time in five minutes. "When do you think she'll be here?" I kept asking Johanna.

Johanna sighed. "I have a feeling you're not focusing on Monopoly."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Sorry," I told her. "I'm just worried about Kit. She'd normally be back by now."

Johanna threw her head back, feeling her silky hair on her shoulders. She didn't respond to me for a minute or so. Then she said in a small voice, "I told you that you should never have given her that information."

"Why not?" I asked. "Don't you trust Kit?"

My friend sighed. "Listen, Clove. Kit's a good kid and all, but she can't be trusted with info like that like you and I can. It's vital stuff."

I was a bit shocked that she had said that, but also a bit smiley since she basically just said I could be trusted with vital information. I nodded slowly, fingering my braid.

"But I am worried about her," I quickly said. "She should have been back a while ago. She may not be trustworthy, but she is sort of responsible and our friend. We should look for her."

Johanna's piercing blue eyes scanned my face for any signs of fear or something like that. She stood up, knocking against the game board. I stood up with her, straightening my maroon and navy striped shirt.

"Where are we going?" I asked, following her out of my dorm.

"To find Kit. We'll threaten people if we have to," she responded. I grinned at that. I love threatening people.

**Johanna**

To be perfectly honest, threatening people has never been my thing. I'm more a hand-to-hand straight on fighter. I always think I sound stupid when I give out threats, so I never do anymore. And sounding stupid is not my strong suit.

Clove and I marched down our dormitory hallways and out to the night-lit campus. Hardly anybody was out now, but I counted four couples walking in the moonlight, twelve people still studying on benches, two people walking by themselves, one person tossing a coin in the fountain, three girls giggling together about how their sleepover was going to be fun, two people closing up their restaurants or cafes, five teachers walking, and last but not least, one red-haired girl that walked alone.

"Kit!" cried Clove, dashing towards her. Kit spread her arms open for a big hug, which Clove smashed into. I watched them with fascination, then I smelled something- some body splash I didn't recognize. Coconut. Kit hated coconut.

"Kit," I said in a queer voice. "Where have you been?"

Kit shrugged. "Around, why?"

I didn't tell her what I smelled. Instead, I sang out in a little girl's voice, "Kit's got a boyfriend, Kit's got a boyfriend!"

Kit reddened and she giggled, "I don't like Finnick or Thresh anymore!"

"WHOA!" Clove held up a hand. "I knew about Thresh, but Finnick is new news!"

Kit gave a nervous little laugh and began telling about how she first saw Finnick, but I wasn't interested. I sniffed again. This might sound like a lame pun, but something smelled very fishy.

**Kit**

Clove might have been buying my story, but Johanna just stood there, her lips pursed and arms crossed. She gave of the impression of disbelief. Uncomfortable, halfway through my Finnick story, I yawned and said I was ready for bed.

"Uh – uh," Clove wagged her finger at me. I froze.

"You have to finish the Finnick story!" she said, smiling. I blushed.

"Right. Yep. Uh, in the morning, got it?"

"Sure," sighed Clove. "Better than nothing."

I felt Johanna's eyes boring holes into my back and I turned. "What?" I asked. She shrugged.

"Nothing. Can't I just look at you?" she replied, all snarky.

"Sure," I swallowed, and suddenly my turning stomach increased.

**Rue**

I was pleasantly surprised that the friend, Kit, came by to apologize. As I lie on my lumpy mattress, clutching my tiniest worry doll named Nabuti, I dreamt good dreams for once.

In the morning, sunlight streamed through my window and I threw open the filmy curtains. I was greeted by not sun but storm clouds. It was raining. I was confused, but knew the cause once I saw the dorm building across the campus path from my building. A girl with platinum blond hair and a flattering purple and white striped shirt was adjusting a mirror, so that it picked up the streetlamp's reflection and shone it into her room.

"That's a good idea," I murmured aloud. "And at night, it's your own personal nightlight without any electricity being wasted from Five. Smart."

After I showered (the shower stalls for this floor were all the same. I knew I should have brought shower slippers or flip flops!), brushed my teeth (20% more fluoride in this tube than the other leading brands!), brushed my hair (I had difficulty gelling it up, so I left it down instead of in an afro), and dressed (black capris, loose pink shirt with a black cat image on it, silver stud earrings, and my lucky silver locket necklace) I sat down at my desk and wrote my parents a letter.

_Dear Mom and Dad, _

_Campus life is going 50-50. So far I've been egged, made one sort-of friend, and got an ingenius idea for a nightlight, all in the same weekend! Today is my first day of classes. Wish me luck. I'm going to attach my rabbit's foot to my binder zipper for good luck!_

_How are the sisters doing? I miss you guys! Give Pearl the cat a big smooch on the whiskers for me, please. And remember- no touching my stuff in my room or else! : ) Kidding. But seriously… Don't. I beg of you! Ha, ha._

_Well, that's all there is to say right now. Oh, wait- I have one thing! If you send any care packages (which I HOPE YOU WILL) here is what I want!_

_-Lip gloss (Merry Mulberry, Pink Fluff, Sweeter Than Soda, and 24 Degrees, all by Viva.)_

_-Bubblegum, Circus Peanuts, Pixie Stix, and Cheetos_

_-My flannel pajama top with the dolphins on it, which I forgot_

_-The rest of my jewelry_

_-Another blanket (It gets COLD here)_

_-Markers to draw with_

_-A microwave? :D_

_-And you just can't go wrong with cash. Or, if cash is too much, there's a mall down the road of the campus entrance OR about ten small stores and a bunch of restaurants. Today I'm going to try Smokey's Steakhouse for eggs and steak for breakfast. Mm mm!_

_Love always,_

_Rue_


	4. I've Finally Found Her

**A/N: Shout out to Lya2000 and Victoire Collins! I love you! You're my special reviewers! ;) LOVE Y'ALL WHO REVIEW, and check out my new SYOT story- the 68****th**** Hunger Games! **

**Full Name-**

**Age-**

**Gender- **

**Top 5 Districts You wanna be in from most wanted to least-**

**Abilities-**

**Appearance- **

**Good at-**

**Personality-**

**History-**

**Dies in bloodbath?-**

**Makes allies?-**

**The ones taken are the girls from 1, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 12, and also the boy from 7. All the rest are free agents!**

**Rue**

Life on the first day was really hard, especially without a ride. Most people had skateboards, roller blades, bikes, scooters, or even golf carts to get around- a few people rode around in them, charging a dollar for five minutes. I had no extra money to spare and they looked sort of suspicious to me, so I just ran, jogged, or walked. I also learned that buying a locker was a smart idea. There was the locker building in the middle of campus, and it was at least a twenty-minute run from almost anywhere. If I forgot a book, no fear- just go to the locker building. This way, I didn't have to double back to my dorm and wait ten minutes for the creaky elevator to slide up and down.

One thing that I made a note of, though, was to get a backpack. People everywhere had knapsacks and messenger bags, athletic bags and backpacks, and even the wheeling backpacks. The craziest thing I saw was a guy on a bicycle with a little thing pulled by the bike, and his books and supplies were in there. I think it was meant to tow children, but it obviously worked for toting books as well.

My last class of the day was Art History. I slid into the last open desk, one in the corner of the back. The girl next to me was (surprise, surprise!) the girl whom I had seen adjusting a mirror. Currently she was brushing her hair and reading something on WattPad on her laptop.

I cleared my throat quietly, although I didn't have to be silent- the professor was very loud.

"Hi," I heard myself saying to her. "I'm Rue."

She didn't appear to hear me at first, so I repeated myself a couple of times until she finally looked over.

"I heard you the first time," the blonde said. "My name's Glimmer Gemmer. What do you need?"

I, embarrassed, just muttered, "Nothing, just wanted to say hi," and went back to taking notes.

_In 1881, Munch enrolled at the Royal School of Art and Design of Christiania, where his distant relative Jacob Munch founded, with others. teachers were sculptor Julius Middelthun and the naturalistic painter Christian Krohg, both well-known and respected artists. That year, Munch demonstrated his quick absorption of his natural talent-_

"Hey."

I snapped out of my notes to see Glimmer, prodding me with a feathered-end pen, colored bright pink. It was much like she was a drover, trying to drive me out with a cattle prod. "What?" I asked her.

Glimmer's green eyes widened- or did I just imagine that? "I'm sorry about earlier," she told me. "It's- well… _you know_. Month… Time…"

I nodded. I certainly did know.

Glimmer's eyeliner-ed eyes flickered over me. I wished I had put a little foundation over the growing bump on my nose, popped a breath mint, or even slathered on a little lip gloss. Anything to make this girl think higher of me.

"You seem new," she said at last. "Are you new?"

I bobbed my head. "I came on Sunday," I said. "Oh, that's yesterday… ha."

Glimmer bobbed her head with me, blond ringlets bouncing and her dangling red topaz earrings jiggling slightly. "Yes, it was."

"So…" I tried to bring up the mirror and sun topic without Glimmer thinking that I was a stalker. "My dorm building's right next to your dorm building, and I noticed you adjusting a mirror today."

"Did you?" Glimmer asked breezily. "Yes, I try to have it reflect the sun's rays, or in some cases the street lamp. I find it enchanting to have light in my room and natural light, too."

I nodded, hanging onto her every word. I tried to remember this conversation word for word, so later I could recite it off in a letter. In every way, Glimmer as perfect.

She had to be my friend.

**Clove**

By lunchtime, I was famished but I had to study for an upcoming history test that was next period, so I wolfed down a couple bananas and a vanilla latte before speed-reading the page about some old dead president. Ike Eisenhower? Grover Cleveland? Mitchell Varsity? All thousands of years ago, all BOOOOOORING. And who really cares about some Healthcare thing? It's not like it would pay for everything, like the Capitol does for us. People back then were stupid.

"Hello, Clove." My redheaded comrade sat down with a caramel frappe and cranberry muffin. I eyed her purchases hungrily.

"Hello, Kit," I said, staring at the whipped cream on that tasty frappe, which she took a huge guzzle out of before nibbling on the muffin.

"Whatcha studying for?" she asked, scratching her chin.

I threw my head back and let out a low groan. "History," I said when I finished. "A bunch of dead guys runnin' around demanding government or something like that."

"Government?" Kit asked, spitting out a cranberry. "What's that?"

"Who knows?" I shrugged. "SO thousands of years ago. Hey, can I have that cranberry?"

She picked out a couple cranberries and pushed them over on a napkin. "Have you seen the new girl?"

"Why would I care anymore?" I asked, chewing on the seeds of one red berry. "It's obvious that she's not a threat anyways. And besides, Jo and I might have scared her off by-"

"CLOVE! CLOVE!" I saw Johanna running towards Kit and me, nearly spilling her blue tea.

"What do you need?" I asked, annoyed.

"I need one of you to walk me to class," she said, like it was obvious. "I don't want to go alone today."

Kit tilted her head to one side, causing a small but noticeable crack. "I could, I guess. Where to next?"

"Building Q," Johanna answered with a small toss of her hair. "I have life science next."

"Oh, good. I have earth science, so we could walk together. Clove? What do you have?" Kit asked me.

"Calc," I said casually.

"Ugh, I hate math," Kit sighed. "What building?"

"D."

"Why don't you like math?" asked Johanna. "It's black and white and never ever lies."

Kit shrugged. "I dunno. It's too hard, I guess."

Johanna argued back, "The rules are the same, always. They never ever change!"

Kit frowned. "OK, ready to go to Q?"

"No," I begged. "Don't leave meeeeeeeeeeeee." I noticed a young girl staring at me, open-mouthed, and made a hideous face. "What are you looking at? You wanna go?"

"No," said the little girl, tugging anxiously on a braid. "I don't."

"Clove," Kit said warningly, but I swished my hand through the air in dismissal.

"Sh, it's all good," I said, warming up to the girl's fear. I narrowed my eyes. "What's not to like about me, girl?" I spat.

She swallowed. "N-nothing,"

"What's your name, chick?"

"R-Rose," she stuttered. "Primrose."

I laughed, and Johanna joined in, cackling loudly. "PRIMROSE?" I choked. "Prim like a ROSE, baby!"

Primrose chewed on the end of her braid, and Kit held up a hand. "Wait a second," she said to the nerdy dork. "What's your last name?"

Primrose said it in such a whisper we had to lean in to hear. "Everdeen," she softly said. Kit gave us a look that meant 'stop' before talking to the dweeb again.

"Are you, by any wild, wild chance, related to KATNISS Everdeen?"

"Yes," Primrose whispered. "She was my cousin, but she felt more like a sister to me. I was so sad when she died."

Kit looked at her funnily, giving her a nod to dismiss. I was about to retaliate onto Kit when I noticed her wet eyes. "What's up?" I prodded her. "Are you all right?"

"Katniss told me about her cousin Prim," she whispered to Johanna and me. "I never thought I'd meet her, but here she is. She's exactly the opposite of Katniss, and probably the only other person who knew Katniss as well as I did. It's amazing… I've FOUND her."

**Clove**

The rest of the day was an emotional one for my friend Kit. For some reason, she kept trying to find those two young girls… it was so weird. She'd be at Rue's dormitory, talking into midnight or searching campus for Primrose, who seemed to have disappeared.

Oh, and if you're wondering, calculus DID suck. Johanna was wrong.

**A/N: PLEASEEEEEEE submit a tribute! :D**


	5. A Lot of Crying, Basically

**Rue**

"Rue?" some woman jogs out of a school store. I look at her, one eye twitching.

The woman examines herself. She's wearing a bottle green cashmere sweater, relaxed black slacks, black pumps, lots of makeup, and golden hoop earrings with matching bangles.

"Yes?" I say cautiously.

The lady gives a nervous giggle. "Whoops. Forgot to introduce myself. My name is Cashmere Catch. I'm drama teacher for the youngest students here, the high-schoolers."

"I'm just in eighth grade," I reply. "But I'm a genius, I guess."

She cocks an imaginary finger gun at me. "Right you are. I've seen you through Mrs. Trinket's office window. I work in the building next to her."

"Really," I say disinterestedly. "That's quite fascinating."

"Anyways!" Cashmere tucks a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "I'm here to ask you a question."

"Ask away."

"Every semester the drama club for high-schoolers holds a play production. This year it will be '_Sweeter Than Poison_'." Cashmere grins, like she thinks I'll be drawn to it by its deathly name.

"I'm not the best actress," I confess, biting my lip.

Cashmere gives another mini giggle fit. "Nope! Nope! Nix! Not what I was asking for, Rue."

"Then what, Mrs. Catch?" I say, impatient.

"I'd like you to consider becoming stage manager. I've heard you stay on top of things very well, very organized."

I glance down at my outfit. Short-sleeved white blouse, puffy cobalt skirt, matching cobalt tie and suspenders. This must give off a nerdy vibe. "That's true," I agree. "So, what exactly does a stage manager do?"

Cashmere laughs again. That's getting rather annoying. "Dear, you MANAGE! You do anything and everything. You oversee the costumes that will go onstage, work with the scripts, enhance the audio, make sure everything's running A-OK!"

I smirk inwardly. It sounds sort of fun, but I have so much school work.

"I'll think about it," I say. "When do I have to reply?"

"Saturday would be fine. No, Friday. I have to do some interviews for next year. Just RSVP, shoot me an email, drop by and tell me, anything. Just make sure it's Friday or sooner."

"I will," I promise, hugging my books to my chest. "Thank you."

"No worries, sweetie." She pats the top of my head like I'm such a doll and then she's off, off on her purple roller blades with black wheels. Skating towards her office, I guess, because there's no school buildings or cafés or anything to the south wing.

And off I go to my next class.

**Foxy**

"Stage manager?" I squeal. "Rue, that's epic! That's great!"

"I have to RSVP by Friday," Rue says, less excited. "Should I?"

My mouth drops open. "YES," I shout at her. "This is sort of a huge deal!"

"How so?"

I chew on the end of my ponytail, gazing out the window at the foggy campus. Streetlights glow in the mystical setting. I blink.

"Well, it gains instant popularity with the drama kids," I say slowly. "Hundreds audition for the play, and you have a say in it. I'm thinking of auditioning for the sister of the victim. Talia. And… If you even get a small part, it's a great opportunity. One year I was an extra, a shopper wandering a mall. Everybody congratulated me so much, it was crazy."

"That sounds cool," Rue says, picking a hangnail.

"Stage managers get that treatment toooooo!" I hum in a sing-song voice. "VIP stuff, Rue. Can't pass that up."

"But I Have so much homework!" she wails.

"HOMEWORK?! Seriously? THAT'S why you're thinking of not doing it?!"

"Yes…."

"Oh my God. No. This cannot be."

"Why?"

"Every single teacher lets you off easy if you're a part in the play, Rue! Stage manager and leads get the best treatment. Rarely any homework! It's got them eating OUT of your HAND."

That caught Rue's attention. She looked at me directly with soulful brown eyes. "Eating outta my hand?" she asks, her tone curious.

I nod. "Yep. It's really great."

Rue settles down in her bed, giving a mournful little sigh. "That sounds great."

"What wrong?" I question. Now her tone is not curious, it was just off- as if she'd realized something.

Rue twists her mouth around in a sad look. "I don't know if my parents would be all happy about me getting off easy with homework."

My mouth pops open. "Rue. Rue, Rue, Rue, Rue, R-"

My phone vibrates with an new text.

**Incoming text from: Clovey 3**

_KIT WERE R UUUUU_

I hold up an index finger while I tap back a quick message.

_**Studying. Bye**_

I start to talk with Rue again about how nobody let their parents OR homework stop them when my phone buzzes again.

_COME KWIK Johanna needs 2 ask u somthin_

_**No cant sry**_

_KIT ur being meeeean_

_**Excuse me, Clove XP**_

_Hry up studyin dsnt take tht long_

_**4 me it does.**_

_HRRY UPPP._

_**WAIT CLOVE!**_

…_r u mad?_

_**Y would I be mad?**_

_Ur textin in caps_

_**U TEXTED IN CAPS FIRST**_

_Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure_

_**Whtvr Clove**_

_Anyhoo. U gtta come kwik!_

_**Johanna can just text me. She's got my #!**_

_NOOOOOOOOO she CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNTTTTTTTTTT_

_**Y?**_

_Has 2 b in prsn_

_**If u feel tht way then-**_

"KIT!" Rue shrieks. I dropped my phone from bringing my head up so fast.

"Whaaa?"

"Who were you texting?" she asks.

I blush immediately. "Nobody." My face grows hot and I get up. "I'd better leave. I hope you take my advice!"

Rue shrugs. "I'll think about it."

With that, I closed the door and ran all the way back to my dorm.

**Johanna**

"God," I mutter to Clove. "That girl's always late."

"Johanna," Clove says nervously. "It's not her fault."

"Whose fault is it then?" I yell, pronouncing every word carefully. "I hate how she's always blowing us off, Clove! It's always for somebody else, and I'm SICK of it!"

Clove falls back on her bed, and I sit on Kit's. For a second I begin to admire how different their sides of the room was- Clove's was navy and cream colored, Kit's was emerald green, magenta, and white. On Kit's side, there are many sparkly things and feathers; on Clove's, there is simply a bed, desk, and nightstand.

"I'm back!" my redheaded comrade bursts into the room, wheezing.

"About time!" screeches Clove, her eyes twitching like crazy. "Where the hell were YOU?"

"Out and about," replies Kit, slipping off her tawny jacket with the large purple buttons. She began dipping a cotton ball in makeup remover and dabbing at her eyelids to remove light silver eye shadow.

"That's not a good 'nough answer," I huff at her. "That's what you've been saying for the past few days, and we don't know what you're up to."

Kit eyes me up from her mirror. I make an intimidating face and briskly beckon for Clove to do the same. She scowls at the redhead.

Kit swallows and continues rubbing her eyelids.

"TELL US!" shrieks Clove, her temper cut short.

Kit jumps a little but recovers her dignity. "Do you seriously want to know?" she bellows.

"OBVIOUSLY!" I scream.

"YES!" Clove yelps at the same time.

"I was- I was on a date," she informs us, her shoulders squared and eyebrows furrowed together. "If you must know, it went terrible and I'm really not in the mood to talk, so shut your faces!"

I'm no fool. I can tell that she's lying through her teeth. But Clove, obsessed with anything that her best friend does, runs to her to comfort her.

"Was he a total idiot?"

"What dorm is he in? I'll beat him for you."

"Are you OK?"

"Do you want to talk?"

I examine my cuticles as Kit and Clove chat a bit. Kit's big eyes are getting teary. Faker.

"Jo," Clove says suddenly. I glance up, still absorbed in watching my nails.

"Huh?"

"Look at Kit's hair." She was talking like Kit wasn't standing right next to her. "It's all messed up."

"Yeah. So?" I raise my eyebrows.

Clove grabs Kit by the shoulders and gives her a quick, hard shake. "Did he hurt you?" she snaps.

"What?" sputters Kit.

"DID HE? Hell, he'll be DEAD by the time I'm through with him!"

"NO!" shrieks Kit, clapping a hand over Clove's head. "It wasn't a guy!"

Clove stops her angry rant to look at her queerly. "Wasn't?"

Breathlessly, Kit shakes her head.

"Then who?" Clove asks quietly.

"MY GOD," I scream. "You seriously haven't known this all this time, Clove? RUE! It's RUE, isn't it. Or if it's not HER, ROSE!"

Clove pinches the bridge of her nose and exhales. "Tell me this isn't true," she mutters. Simultaneously, Clove and I fall over onto the beds.

"I'm sorry," Kit says, and I witness a real tear slipping out of her eye.

"You lied to me," Clove says shakily. Her shoulders jump up and down, and I realize that she's dry-heaving. "You frigging LIED, Kit. WHY would you lie to your best friend?! I've always been here for you, all these years, and you just go and LIE to me about a stupid little MIDDLE-SCHOOLER!"

I look at Kit. So guilty. Young. Tearful.

"She's not your best friend, Clove," I say quietly. "Probably never was, either."

"NO!" screams Kit, doubling over. "That's SO untrue, Johanna! I never liked you, and this just gives me more reason to! Clove, she's LYING! Don't listen to her! I'm so sorry, Clove!" Sob, sob, sob.

Clove stands up, her face streaked with eyeliner. "Johanna's the only friend I've really had around here. I felt sorry for you," she growls. "But that was before I knew you were such a EFFING STUPID WITCH!"

Kit stumbles backward blindly to the door, wailing loudly. She slams it behind her.

"Bring it in," I mumble to Clove, who begins sobbing into my sweatshirt.

Oh, this will be a long night.

**A/N: This took a bit to write. Next chapter, will there be a GUY in the mix? Review to find out… O.o**


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